Wire-threading leader and coupler



June 5, 1928. 1,672,324

C. H. KEPLER WIRE THREADING LEADER AND COUPLER Filed Oct. 23, 1925 INVEN TOR.

CL 140513 /2. K025i BY A TTORNE Y ill Patented June 5, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,672,324 PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE n. KEPLER, or OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

WIRE-THREADING LEADER AND COUPLER.

Application filed October.23, 1925. Serial No. 64,362.

My invention relates to a device designed .to be used to facilitate thepassing of lead Another ob'ect of the invention is to provide a deviceof the character described which will pass freely through a conduit andwhich is so formed that it cannot-become caught therein.

A further obiect of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described which is arrangedfor the removable attachment ofwires or cables thereto and which that I do not limit myself to theshowing.

serves as a coupling between a leading and afollowing wire or cablesection.

The invention possesses other objectsand features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the. preferred-form of my invention which is illustratedin the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. Itis to be understood made by the said drawings and description,

as I may adopt variations of the preferred form within the scope of-myinvention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of the device ofmvinvention, with a lead wire and follower cable fixed therein.'

Figure 2 is a longitudinalsectional view of the device} shown vinFlgure1.

Figure 3 1s a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 in Figure2.-

.Figure 4 isafragmentary sectional view of a modification of theembodiment of Figure 1. I

Figures 5 and 6 arelongitudinal sectional views ofother embodiments ofthe inven Figures 7 and 8 are side and front views respectively of stillanother form of the invention. I

Figure 9 is a side View of a simplified form of the device shown inFigure 7.

Figure 10 is a longitudinal sectional .view of the device of Figure 9with the parts thereof separated along a lead wire.

Figure 11 is ayside view of the separated parts of the device shown inFigure 9.

In w1r1ng nstallations lnvolvlng the .use

of conduit, the usual and preferred pro-v i vceeding is to first installthe conduit and .then draw or shove the wires into place therein. Owingto the fact that the wires or cables to be installed are frequently ofsu h size as to fit the conduit bore'snugly or are not stiff enough tobepushed ,into the conduit, it is usually necessary to draw the same intothe conduit by the aid of a lead line-of suitable size and strength, andit is to amcans for effecting the primary passing of the lead line andthe wires that my invention particularly relates.

I Lead lines are usually of comparatively wire formed either" round oras a ribbon. and in pushing such lines into a conduit, it is customaryto either round off or to form a return bend in the forward end of thewire. But, in either event, the guide point thus provided will tend tocatch against any projections in the. cond it 01 in the cracks betweenthe various lengths of the conduit-and thus retard the progress of'tliewire, while in the latter event, the frictional resistance 15 usuallyalso increased by reasonof the necessary size' of the bend which causesitsclose fit in the conduit. In accordance with 'my invention, however,a detachable torpedo-like guide point for a lead wire is provided whichis not only arranged to pass through conduit without catching and withminimum of friction, but is also-arranged for'the removable attachmentof a follower wire thereto.

As shown in Figures v1 to 3 inclusive, the device of my inventioncomprises a lead wire guide 12 having abody portion 13 and a noseportion 14. The portion 13 is preferably of cylindrical form and isarranged for longitudinal"attachment to a lead wire 16. As here shown,the wire 16 is of ribbon form, and the, -rear end of the portion 13 ofvthe device is provided with a transverseslot 17 passing-through its axisand, in which the the wire .16 is arranged to fit. The wire 16 may besecured in the slot 17 in anysuitable manner, the slot being here shownprovided with an enlarged portion 18 at its forward edge in which thebent tip portion 19 of the wire 16 is arranged to be positioned,longitudinal withdrawal of thewire being prevented by contact of. thetip 19 with the sides shell a slight distance along the wire, en-

gage the wire end in the slot 17, and then bring the shell forward tocover the slot and so prevent the lateral escape of the wire from theslot. The shell may be held in desired fixed relation to'the portions inany sidewall of a conduit are also desired manner, but as. here shown,its for- 20 an annular groove 24 provided in the porward edge 23iscrimped' inwardly to engage tion 14, the forward portion of the shellbeing preferably provided with a longitudinal slot 26 terminating at theedge 23 to provide for'tlie releasable and. resilient engagement of theedge in the groove. It will now be noted that the portion 12 and shell"22 are tapered at their opposed ends and 1 that the side wall definedthereby is continuo'us,-so that no sharp edge will be presented againstthe inside surface of a conduit 'tlirough'which the device may be moved.

Mechanical means providing fora minimum of friction between the deviceand the insuch" means being here shown as comprising a plurality ofradially extending wheels or rollers 27 mountedin the nose portion 14 ofthe device.

Since the lead wire, when it has been passed through a conduit, isintended for use in "pulling a follower wire 28 into place in theconduit, means are provided'for attaching such wire directly to thedevice in longitudinal relation thereto. As here shown, the rearwardpart 29 of the nose portion '14- which engages the threaded extension 21of the portion-Bis provided with a plurality of radial andlongitudinally extending slots 29.while the nose 14 is provided with anaxial perforation 31 arranged to receive the ends of the strands 32 ofthe wire 28'' In fixing the wire 28 in the device, it

will now be noted that the various strands 32 of the wire 28 areinserted throughthe per foraltion 30 from the head end thereof, and

" j'are bent outwardly in the various slots.

screwing of thenose 14 onto the threaded.

part 29 of the portion 13, it will now be noted; will lock the "strandsbetween the during the fastening'operation. When the provided,

strands have been sufficiently locked in position in the mannerindicated, their ends are preferably pushed inwardly into the variousslots 29 so that the shell 22 may be positioned and held thei'eover inthe manner previously described, it being noted that any gap between theportions 13 and 14, as well as the slots 29, will thus be covered.

In the embodiment of Figure 4, the nose portion 34 thereof is notarranged to receive and hold a follower wire, and therefore lacks thewire gripping structure of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3. The noseportion 34 is otherwise the same as nose portion 14 so tliatthese partsmay be interchangealtily mounted onthe body portion 13. "In this manner,the nose 34 n'iay be used in shoving the lead ribboflforWardlytlii'ou'gh the conduit while the wire gripping nose 14 may be: used indrawing a follower wire back through the conduit. V

In the embodiment of Figure 5.-the nose and'body portions are integral,the dcvice comprising abody 51' having comically tapered ends andprovided with a plural ty of ii'otrudin rollers 52 mounted in itsmidportion. One'end 53 of the body is arranged to receive and'hold theend'ofa wire ribbon iii the same manner the lead wire is held in thepreviously described embodiment, "while the other end 54 of the body is"similarly' slotted "to"receive a plurality of wire strands 55 arrangedin coplanar and parallel relation and having their ends turned sharplyto engage an edge or seat 56 p'iiovjided'atfthe rearward e'n'd'of theslot. Caps't? are utiliZed to hold the ribbon and strands in theirrespective slots; the caps being crimped" at their inner endstofe'ng'age in' grooves 58 provided in the body 51. 'The larger size ofwheel permitted in his embodiment still 'fu'rther'tend's to eliminatefriction.

In the embo'diment of Figure 6;"1 have shown a. oI1'e-piece"'bodysti'ucti'ireiso arrai'ige'd that wire maybonipletely extendtherethro'ughf In this" embod'iiiient, the body 61' is provided with alongitudinal perforation 62' arra'nge d' to re'ceive" a wil (notshown'lra set s rew 63 b'eing providedfor fixing the wire in theperforation, and wheels 64 being provided as. an anti-friction element.This embodiment, it will be noted,

while it does not provide a coupling means,

may also be used at intermediate points on or cable to facilitatemovement there- 'of' through a conduit: and in the ease of heavy cables,may be, advantageously left on As illustrated in Figures and 8, a deviceis shown having a body 71 provided with radial slots .72 in' whichwheels 73 are bill ill)

the "cable jvhen it is installed to facilitate possible future removalthereof. Itfwill. be t '7 I noted'that'no cap oi-:shell is necessary,

material of the nose at tlieinn er forward edge ofthe slotsand theendfofextension "21, being obvious" that thes'hell 22' must jbe backed offfroni'at least the nose portion receive and retain a ribbon 73 in thesame manner as in the embodiment of Figure l, the cap 7 4 being utilizedto retain the ribbon in its slot. This form of the invention alsoutilizes anti-friction rollers 75 of a larger shown and described forthe embodiment of Figure 1.

It will now be noted that in the event of the lead wire being of suchthickness that its bending is impracticable, as when it is to be used ininstalling heavy cables in conduit of large diameter and of considerablelength, that it is preferably formed in short sections which may bedetachably connected by units of my device arranged to receive andcouple adjacent section ends together. In the embodiment of Figure 5,the two ends of the device therein shown are similarly formed, so that alead wire end may be held in either end thereof to thus provide acoupling for the sections, while the substitution of lead wire receivingnoses for the noses of the embodiments of in veiw of the foregoing, bean obvious expedient.

I claim: I

1 A device of the character described comprising a cylindrical memberhaving the different ends provided with axially directed perforationsfor the reception of the extremities of a lead line and a wire, andmeans within said member operative to releasably secure said extremitiesin said perforations.

2. A' device of the character described comprising a generallycylindrical closed member having the different ends thereof tapered andprovided with axial perforations for the reception of the extremities ofa lead line and a wire respectively, and means within said memberoperative to releasably and independently secure said lead line and wireextremities to said member when disposed in said perforations.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Oakland,California, this 15 day of October, 1925.

CLAUDE H. KEPLER.

Figures 1 and 9 would, i

